Video shows fight on top of DC fire truck; 3 arrested

WASHINGTON - Police have arrested three men after a fight on top of a fire truck in Southeast D.C.

Video of the incident, which was posted onto Facebook, showed a young man being chased by three others. He is viciously attacked and beaten after he tries to escape them by running up onto a fire truck.

"It was definitely a surprise to them," said D.C. Fire and EMS spokesperson Tim Wilson.

Firefighters heading back to Station 33 had no idea what was about to happened on the back of their truck as they waited for the light to turn green Thursday afternoon near 7th Street and Alabama Avenue.

“They could see through the mirrors on the side of the vehicle that someone was running toward them, never thinking that they would go on top of the apparatus," said Wilson.

But they did and the victim raced up the back of the truck trying to get away from his three attackers -- perhaps believing he would find refuge on the fire truck.

But that didn't stop the guys from going after him. In fact, they even stepped on the American flag as they went after the victim to beat him repeatedly.

The police report showed weapons used in this attack included a club, brass knuckles and some sort of blunt object.

Wilson said firefighters followed protocol by staying in the truck.

"In that instance, the first priority is to make sure that the members are safe,” said Wilson. “It was a situation that was unexpected to them and so to try to make sure that the situation didn’t get out of hand, they did what they were trained to do and that is to call MPD."

Police arrived quickly and arrested three people. One juvenile is facing assault with a deadly weapon and destruction of property charges. The police report revealed that suspect had a wooden beam and was swinging it at the victim. He also damaged the fire truck.

Two other suspects, 18 and 19 years old, are facing a charge of simple assault.

The police report said the victim suffered abrasions, but refused to be taken to the hospital to be checked out.